Editor's Burrow: The Preface to the Premiere Issue of ARACHNOCULTURE

Issue 1 Contents | E-Zine Directory

Welcome to the premiere issue of ARACHNOCULTURE the magazine for keepers of spiders, scorpions and more. The fascinating hobby of keeping and breeding arachnids such as tarantulas, other spiders, scorpions, whipscorpions and tailless whipscorpions has grown substantially in recent years. This magazine hopes to fulfill a role in the spread of information about these creatures to hobbyists — arachnoculturists — of all levels. In addition to articles about captive husbandry and propagation and natural history, each issue of this quarterly publication will feature an interview with a prominent arachnoculturist/arachnologist or someone else of interest. A quiz for enthusiasts of all levels and summaries of recent research related to arachnids will accompany articles spotlighting a popular species or an important website. Hopefully this combination of material will be both entertaining and educational. We invite your criticism, contributions and suggestions.

This magazine intends to augment the distribution of arachnid hobby information, not compete with other publications, especially those that are produced by societies devoted to the hobby. I highly recommend that all readers join both the American Tarantula Society [www.atshq.org] and the British Tarantula Society [www.thebts.co.uk] and receive their journals. The German language Deutsche Arachnologische Gesellschaft e. V. (DeArGe) [www.dearge.de] and French language Le Groupe d'Etude des Arachnides (GEA) [gea.free.fr] are also recommended.

Before concluding this opening note I must give thanks to those who have been influential during my years of keeping these fascinating creatures. First and foremost is Ralph Henning of Joliet, Illinois, an early breeder of tarantulas. When I met Ralph in the early 80¹s I was living in the Chicago area and dealing in both reptiles and arachnids. Through Ralph I became aware of three other tarantula men — Rick West, Stanley Schultz and Allan McKee.

Ralph would frequently speak to Rick by telephone and I would eagerly await Ralph's recaps of those conversations. To now consider Rick a friend and have him contribute to this magazine is an honor. He is among the leading experts on theraphosid spiders in the world and I hope he will continue to write here. I met Stan and his wife Marguerite on a 1985 southern Texas arachnid collecting trip with Ralph. The first edition of their Tarantula Keeper's Guide a book now known as "the bible" among tarantula enthusiasts had been recently published and Stan gave me an inscribed copy at the end of a fine day collecting Aphonopelma anax, A. moderatum and a variety of scorpions and centipedes. Al McKee of Washington state was one of the first tarantula breeders I knew of. The pricelists from Al's Tarantula Ranch were wonderful things to look at and I hope I still have them archived somewhere! Years later Ralph introduced me to a fourth inspirational tarantula man: the late Bryant Capiz. I recall a couple of visits to his home prior to the opening of his Arachnocentric shop and discussions we later had at a suburban Chicago reptile swap. His enthusiasm for the hobby was infectious and contributed to a renewed excitement on my part. I dedicate this first issue to Ralph, Rick, Stan, Al and Bryant.

Please enjoy this new voice in arachnoculture and let us know how we can better serve you. My thanks to all of you who have made this magazine possible and the writers whose works are featured here.

Respect and protect,

Michael Jacobi

Issue 1 Contents | E-Zine Directory